Dr. Walker named visiting professor at UR
Dr. Corey D.B. Walker has left Virginia Union University after giving up his role as vice president and dean of the School of Theology on Dec. 31.
Court moves closer to declaring Va. law unconstitutional linking court fines to driver’s license suspensions
For more than two decades, people who cannot pay court fines and costs in Virginia automatically have had their driver’s licenses suspended.
Justice and Reformation providing space heaters to those in need
Public housing residents and others in Richmond who lose heat have a new alternative. A Richmond advocacy group is distributing space heaters to those who are shivering in cold apartments.
Roadblock: Mayor’s $1.4B Coliseum plan hits a financing snag
The plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum with a new arena in Downtown appears to be running afoul of the Virginia Public Finance Act.
Richmond would have only 4 House representatives under redistricting plan
Richmond’s representation in the General Assembly could be reduced from five members in the House of Delegates to four if a three-judge federal court panel accepts changes proposed by a California professor to end racial gerrymandering.
Absence marks Emancipation Proclamation Day service
Jan. 1 marks one of the greatest days in American history — the day when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery amid the raging Civil War.
City’s hourly ‘living wage’ to rise to $12.07 under mayor’s proposed pay plan
More than 3,800 employees at City Hall, from janitors to executives, will be affected by the long-awaited overhaul of the city’s pay plan that Mayor Levar M. Stoney is expected to introduce Monday, Jan. 7, to Richmond City Council.
Hasan K. Zarif, longtime re-entry specialist for Goodwill, retires
Minister Hasan K. Zarif has been “Mr. Re-Entry” for untold thousands of people making the transition from prison to civilian life. A former prisoner himself who rebuilt his life, Minister Zarif has been influential in helping others undertake the hard work of doing the same thing.
William C. Smith named interim police chief in Richmond
For now, William C. Smith is in charge of the Richmond Police Department. The 23-year department veteran took over as interim chief on Tuesday, New Year’s Day, following the official retirement of former Chief Alfred Durham.
New Virginia license plate honoring Dr. King?
Can Delegate Dawn M. Adams find 450 Virginians willing to pay $25 to $35 for a specialty license plate honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Monday, Jan. 7?
Chief Durham reflects on his tenure in Richmond
Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham is done. He wrapped up Dec. 20 by issuing promotions to 12 officers, including naming three deputy chiefs and tapping one, William C. Smith, to serve as acting chief.
Richmond Continentals honor Mayor Stoney, others at annual fundraiser
The Richmond Chapter of the Continental Societies Inc. honored Mayor Levar M. Stoney with its “Champion for Children” Award at the group’s 43rd Annual Elegance in Black & White gala on Dec. 21.
Contractors claim they are left out of city lead removal contracts
Small African-American contractors like Anson Bell and Nathan Beyah claim they are being locked out of work to remove from 150 Richmond homes and apartments toxic lead paint that yearly damages the developing brains of dozens of young children.
$ for schools
Mayor Levar M. Stoney announces $800M plan to fully fund school construction over next 20 years
The mayor announced a plan on Dec. 20 to provide the $800 million that Richmond Public Schools wants to improve and modernize schools, a majority of which are 60 or more years old and seven of which are 100 years old.
Jeffrey A. Goode, area wedding and funeral singer and member of Bak ’n Da Day, dies at 57
Jeffrey Antoine Goode regularly sang at funerals, weddings and other family and community events and was a tenor for 18 years with the popular Richmond a cappella quintet Bak ’n Da Day that serves up Motown, R&B and Broadway show tunes.
City tackling polluted water
Richmond’s most heavily polluted watersheds that drain into the James River will get some extra attention, thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, it has been announced.
William Lomax, longtime barber in Jackson Ward, dies at 87
Longtime Richmond barber and NAACP stalwart William Lomax has died. Mr. Lomax, who was best known for his barbershop in Jackson Ward, succumbed to illness Friday, Dec. 21, in hospice in Henrico County. He was 87.
Councilwoman to seek state help on Agelasto residency issue
Parker C. Agelasto’s future as the 5th District representative on City Council apparently will depend on whether the General Assembly or another state entity gets involved.
Information blackout in new city ambulance permit case?
The Richmond Ambulance Authority has, for now, avoided competition for non-emergency transports that help financially support its crucial emergency service.
Medicaid enrollment jumps
More than 182,000 Virginia adults — or nearly half of the 400,000 projected to be eligible — have enrolled in Medicaid health care coverage that will begin Jan. 1, Gov. Ralph S. Northam announced.
National NAACP suspends Frank J. Thornton, Henrico Branch president
In an extraordinary action, national NAACP President Derrick Johnson has suspended for a year the membership of Frank J. Thornton, president of the Henrico Branch NAACP and son of Frank Thornton, chairman of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
RRHA working again to settle heating problems
Tina Shaw has gotten most of what she wanted for Christmas — working heat in her two-bedroom apartment in the Creighton Court public housing community.
Petition drive continues for Put Schools First
Put Schools First is still collecting signatures to get a proposed change to the City Charter on a future Richmond ballot to allow voters to decide whether to pump more tax dollars into school construction and limit financing for the Coliseum replacement project that Mayor Levar M. Stoney has endorsed.
VUU spokesperson blasts claims by doctoral student as ‘false, ill-advised, arbitrary and capricious’
Virginia Union University is pushing back against a student-written letter and online petition calling for an investigation and the removal of VUU President Hakim J. Lucas and Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chair of the VUU Board of Trustees.
City Council approves commission to review $1.4B Coliseum project
City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray scored a signal victory in securing an 8-1 vote Monday in support of her plan to create a commission of citizen experts to review the $1.4 billion plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum and redevelop at least 10 blocks of Downtown near City Hall.
Grade snafu flunks ‘A’ student
Michael Donovan was surprised when his son brought home a report card for the first nine weeks at Lucille M. Brown Middle School that showed the sixth-grader had an F in Spanish.
VSU accredited for 10 years by SACS
Virginia State University, despite shrinking enrollment, has secured re-accreditation for a full 10 years, it was announced Tuesday. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmed VSU’s accreditation at its annual meeting Tuesday in New Orleans after finding the university complied with all of its standards.
State NAACP to push ‘Energy from God’ bill
Schools, churches, mosques and synagogues across Virginia could go solar, if the Virginia State Conference NAACP has its way. Under a legislative proposal the civil rights organization is advancing dubbed the “Energy from God” bill, a $1 billion, three-year pilot program would be created to equip buildings devoted to public education and religion with solar panels, particularly in low-income urban and rural areas.
Letter to VUU board offers insight into theology school, university problems
Dr. Corey D.B. Walker may continue to teach after stepping down as vice president and dean of Virginia Union University’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at the end of December.
City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto out of the woods?
Pressure appears to be lifting for Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto to resign his seat despite moving from the 5th District he represents to the city’s 1st District. Two key city officials, the Richmond voter registrar and the city attorney, have backed away from the issue of whether Mr. Agelasto’s move disqualifies him from remaining on City Council, leaving it uncertain whether any mechanism exists to enforce a requirement in the Virginia Constitution and state code that he, like other state and local officials, must live in the district he serves.
Steel fabrication company to open in South Side
A York, Pa., company is creating 70 jobs for welders, machine operators, truck drivers and others in Richmond after re-opening a factory and warehouse in South Side that most recently was used to build large bridge components.
Pushback: Individuals, coalitions raising questions, opposition to mayor’s $1.4B Coliseum development plan
As Mayor Levar M. Stoney and representatives of the Navy Hill District Corp. stump throughout the city to marshal support for the $1.4 billion plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum, resistance is beginning to appear.
City Council to take up affordable housing and homeless issues at Dec. 17 meeting
Richmond’s governing body is planning to provide a $1 million increase to a City Hall loan pool that assists developers in generating affordable housing and to boost the city’s role in tackling the issue of homelessness.
Dr. Corey Walker leaving VUU School of Theology
Virginia Union University will soon start looking for a new dean for the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. In a surprise move, Dr. Corey D.B. Walker announced in a letter to the students and faculty that he is leaving what he called his “dream” job as a VUU vice president, theology school dean and professor of religion and society on Dec. 31.
State NAACP president muddies group’s stance against Dominion Energy pipeline project
The Virginia State NAACP is reaffirming its opposition to Dominion Energy’s $6.5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline because it believes a key element of the pipeline — a natural gas compressor station —poses a pollution risk to a historically African-American community in Buckingham County, 75 miles west of Richmond.
Special VCU council offers plan for human remains from old medical research
A proper burial in a historic African-American cemetery, recognition on the Virginia Commonwealth University medical campus and continued research.
In limbo: City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto casts decisive vote in latest poll on Coliseum project despite looming questions over his qualifications to hold 5th District seat
Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, is continuing to play a prominent role on the nine-member governing board despite ongoing concerns about the legality of his seat on council since his move last summer to another council district.
Small North Side congregation works hard to keep doors open
John S. “Johnny” Walker is on a mission to save All Souls Presbyterian Church as a center of faith and tolerance in North Side. Despite a shrinking congregation that has fallen to 40 contributing congregants, the 64-year-old Richmond native still sees a future.
Council committee blocks entry of medical transport company into Richmond market
A City Council committee has rebuffed Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s attempt to end the Richmond Ambulance Authority’s 28-year monopoly on emergency and non-emergency medical transports.
Mayor: Social Services would still have City Hall office if headquarters moved
The Richmond Department of Social Services would continue to have a presence at City Hall even if its headquarters building is moved to a distant location to make way for development of an apartment and retail complex as part of the Richmond Coliseum replacement plan.
Mayor uses ‘fake news’ moniker for media reports on Coliseum project
Is Richmond’s mayor adopting President Trump’s habit of labeling media reports he dislikes as “fake news”?
Pressure mounts for councilman to resign
Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto could soon face fresh pressure to resign from his 5th District seat following his admission last week that he and his family now live in a West Franklin Street house located in the 1st District.
Local real estate firm helping anti-hunger efforts
A lot of canned goods get thrown away when people move away. Now moving companies and real estate firms in Richmond and other parts of the country are making an effort to collect nonperishable foods and give them to food banks and other distribution points to help fight hunger.
‘Green Book’ offers small slice of amazing musician’s life, talent
Raise your hand if you have ever heard of Donald W. “Don” Shirley. I expect most of you are as unaware of this remarkable musical giant as I was before I went to see the new film “Green Book.”
Coliseum’s success raises new questions about need to replace it
The 13,500-seat Richmond Coliseum has been the busiest arena in Virginia during the past six years, according to a Chicago-based consulting company that was paid $500,000 by the city to review a proposal to replace the facility.
Some ‘Legacy Vendors’ to have spot at renovated 17th Street Farmers’ Market
Evelyn “Luceal” Allen and Rosa Fleming will be coming back to the 17th Street Farmers’ Market, while Timothy “Tim” Christian likely will not. For now, he will remain by Main Street Station.
Dr. Danny Avula to now run city and Henrico health districts
Public health programs in Richmond and Henrico County are expected to work more closely together now that they have the same director, Dr. Danny Avula.
Congressman Robert C. ‘Bobby’ Scott, four other CBC members expected to lead House committees
Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is expected to be a top Democratic priority in the next Congress, and U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Newport News will be in a prime position to lead the charge in January.
Lawmakers hope Virginia will push ERA over finish line
A bipartisan group of five legislators will try again to get the Virginia General Assembly to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the next legislative session.
Councilman Agelasto’s move out of 5th District puts seat in jeopardy
A giant question mark now hangs over 5th District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto. His continued service on Richmond’s governing body appears to be in jeopardy after a constituent who is a former state elections official disclosed to the media that the councilman and his family now live in the 1st District.
